Tuesday 4 September 2007

Z was tetchy

I was slightly ratty once or twice at this morning's meeting. For a start, someone didn't arrive, so I rang her (she'd offered to bring our host an extra coffee pot, so had been expected early) in case she had broken down or something. "Oh shit, I have it on the calendar for tomorrow," she said. She arrived half an hour later. I wasn't tetchy about that of course, because I'm hardly the person to fuss about a mistake, leaving chaos behind me all the time as I do.

So we started a little late. Within moments, someone raised a matter irrelevant to the subject in hand "since it's not on the agenda." I pointed him to my notes on the agenda, item 4b*. "Ah. Sorry".

Really, it was like looking after a basketful of puppies. A couple of months off and they were all cheerful and pleased to see each other. I mean, I'm as friendly as the next grumpy person, but I used my gavel. Twice.

We finished less than ten minutes late, but there's a whole list of things deferred to a later meeting.

I went in to say goodbye to the Sage, on my way to this evening's meeting. He was unpacking china on the dining table. He had a can of cider in one antique bowl and a knifeful of cheese balanced on another. Before I left, he swept me out to the chicken run, where half a dozen young girls had got out of their coop - they are ready to go in the run with their bigger aunts really, but a stoat got their sister a week or so back, and tore the skin on the head of one of them, so the Sage is keeping them in the coop until she's completely healed. Together, we picked them up and put them back. They are quite tame and squawked a bit but didn't struggle.

Eight chicks were hatched a couple of days ago and they, with their mother, are in another coop. I did take photos and I'll add them tomorrow. It's early, but I'm ready for bed.

*or whatever, none of us cares enough for me to have to go and check, surely

10 comments:

mike said...

My partner K was at a meeting last week which sounded a bit like that. The village hall fundraising committee, to be precise. Minefield. But at least you had an agenda (and presumably, minutes).

Monozygote said...

My god, z, how many chickens does one woman need?

Girlplustwo said...

unruly puppies and a lot of clucking, i'd say.

Gordon said...

You have a gavel? An actual gavel or do you just use your shoe?

Z said...

Mike, it's a very purposeful committee and we get a lot done. But they love to discuss everything. I was a bit too polite to start with, but I'm a turned worm now. It's going to be a timed agenda next.

Gordon, we are a two gavel family. The Sage and I each have our own.

Dandelion, you can never have too many chicken.

Jen, I've had four follow-up emails already. And a phone call.

The Boy said...

Timed agenda! Yes! And a gavel? You make me proud.

A stoat? Blimey

Z said...

I'm a bossy cow at heart, Boy, but usually I hide it well.

Stoats and weasels are hard to keep out as they are so small, but we only lose the occasional chick, normally. We would not attempt to catch them. A few years ago there was a wild mink population boom and they are awfully fierce and there are no predators. They ate voles, kingfishers, moorhens, the lot as well as chickens. A lot of them were trapped and killed (not by us, though we did catch one) and that's settled down now.

Pat said...

You sound like an excellent chairman Z. Not many of them around.

Z said...

I'm scheming to come off committees, Pat, but it started as a 5-year plan 6 years ago, and it hasn't happened yet. This particular one is a lovely committee, actually, and I'm trying to think of a job I can do once I'm not chairman any longer so I'll have an excuse to stay on!

Z said...

And MIke, minutes and an 'action' column! - which I instigated when I was secretary as you might expect...